Roma coach Claudio Ranieri has expressed admiration for Athletic Club forward Nico Williams as his team prepares to face them in the first leg of their Europa League Round of 16 tie.
Ranieri’s comments come as the Italian club gears up for what is expected to be a challenging encounter against the Basque side, which features talented players such as Nico Williams,.
When discussing the strengths of Athletic Bilbao, Ranieri noted the Spanish-Ghanaian winger’s exceptional one-on-one dribbling skills and ability to exploit space.
Asked about Nico Williams, Ranieri said: “When you play zonal, you try to close down certain areas of the pitch to stop them getting the ball. Athletic are first in one-on-one dribbling.
“They have a lot of quality up front and you have to be careful. The pitfalls are those of a team that is fourth in the league, well-built, they all have Basques or youth team players, so they have that incredible sense of belonging.
“It’s a team that is riding the wings of enthusiasm. It will be difficult here, very difficult there, but it will be difficult for them too.”
In addition to discussing Athletic Bilbao, Ranieri also addressed the form of Roma’s star player, Paulo Dybala.
The legendary coach emphasized the importance of supporting Dybala and encouraging him to enjoy his game.
“I’ll tell him what I always tell him, that he has to have fun. Champions like that need to be supported, get them into the game because they have a vision that others don’t see, he has to have fun, do a couple of defensive things, but have fun.”
